Happy Halloween!  On one day a year we are surrounded with more special treats and candy than you shake your booty at, I have a Halloween challenge for you…

JUST SAY NO! I challenge you to not eat a single, solitary piece of Halloween candy. Now, I truly enjoy Halloween fun and yes, I do give out candy usually and I do allow my son to trick-or-treat. Against my better judgement really because, seriously, I do not need a large bucket of candy sitting around my house for the whole month of November! That said, it is a tradition and for my son, a little candy in moderation is not a problem.

However, I do not need any candy (period). On a regular day, I would never dream of walking into a store to purchase candy, so why would I have it now? I have personally found it best to just not have ANY. You may think I have super human will power, but that is not it. I know myself. One piece will lead to 4 pieces because seriously, one little reese cup is barely a bite : ) That will lead to more… a little here and a little there over the next few weeks until the bowl is empty and I feel like crap from all the sugar and fat. I do have a few strategies that might help you out.

– Don’t purchase Halloween candy until the day or 2 before. So what if the stores have had bags sitting out since August. If they stay at the store, I do not have the temptation at my house.

– Purchase candy you do not like. Personally Almond Joys and Milky Ways – yuck. Reese cups and snickers – yum. Almonds Joys and Milky Ways it is! Apparently some of the kids still like them because I never get complaints.

– In fact this year, we have cut the candy all together and instead will be giving out bouncy balls and glow in the dark frogs & lizards. Think out of the box and you may find some cute give aways that kids like… dare I say… even more than candy!

– So the real temptation comes in what my son brings back home. First, I discourage him from getting so much candy that he cannot carry it all home. That said, he has a great time collecting candy but we usually head out a few minute later than the regular start time and come back in when the bucket is full. No swapping bags to head back out and get second bucket full. Yes, some people do this.

– Once he is home, he can have a few pieces of candy that night and the rest is saved for later. Right away, we sort the candy and get rid of the stuff he does not like. No point in eating candy just because it is there! Over the next week or so, he has a few pieces each day, but not so much that his stomach hurts.

– Call me a sneaky mom, but each night past the 3rd night after halloween, I start trimming down the bucket and getting rid of stuff. Yup, that is me, before I head to bed at night, taking a hand full of the candy out of the bucket that is now several days old and tossing it in the trash. There are programs now where you can exchange halloween candy for $$ and the candy is given to different charities (some dentist offices do this) which is a good idea too! We may try that this year.

But Julie, it is Halloween, I have to have some candy. Usually I would say anything in moderation is ok or to make it part of your cheat meal, but not this time. CHOOSE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Something with at least a little nutritional value!!!! Are you really wanting candy or are you eating it because it is in front of you, tempting you? I will make up my strawberry protein cheesecakes or my gluten free chocolate chip cookies instead and not only is my sweet tooth satisfied, I feel good!  And I don’t regret my choices in the morning.

Every time you pick up a piece of candy this week I want you to think about all the hard work you are doing and what your goals are for the month. Is that piece of candy worth your goals this month? Because seriously, a few candy binges WILL ruin a month’s worth of hard work…

Happy Halloween!
Julie